***Hello, everyone! I'm hoping to get this done relatively soon, although I think it's going really well right now, because I have an idea for a new project that I'm going to start soon. But of course, I'm sporadic and scatterbrained and-hey, a squirrel!

Anyways, Grillby and Ember belong to Toby Fox, Cyra belongs to me, and I have to give a trigger warning for a bit of suicidal behavior. Without further ado, let's go!

Chapter Five: Cause, Effect, Prevention

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Cyra said after seeing the text. She dashed, Grillby running right behind her. They burst into Ember's room, only to find her breathing tube in ashes on the floor. It was a matter of time before she started suffocating again.

But, she began to reach around into a tray of medical tools. Her eyes were numbly depressed as she surveyed the sterile equipment, trying to determine which one would give her the easiest and most painless death...

"EMBER BURKE FLAMESMAN!"

The young elemental jumped, falling back onto her bed. The full name... she was screwed now. She looked over and saw her parents. But she knew she couldn't speak; the air would choke her up.

Then again, that was what she wanted.

"Hi," she said flatly.

"What is this about?" Cyra asked. "I'm calling the nurses for a new tube," Grillby intervened briefly. He stepped away and pressed the call button multiple times.

"Let me dust! I ruined your marriage," Ember said. Her breaths were getting more and more shaky and shallow.

"It wasn't you, honey. It was your father. But we both need you to do well, okay? You're my family," Cyra said. She looked at Grillby, then to his daughter. "You're our family."

At that, after repeatedly pressing the button and explaining what was wrong to the medical staff. Grillby walked over to Ember. He took her hand, rubbing her warm back through the opening in the back of her hospital gown.

"This had nothing to do with you. Our divorce. However, we both need you. You're the product of our-" His voice caught on a hitch.

"Love," Ember whispered.

Grillby slowly nodded, glancing at his ex-wife briefly before turning back, adjusting his glasses. "Correct," he said simply, tone uneasy. Cyra was silent, now extremely aware of how close Grillby was to her.

After a few moments, a doctor came in. His name tag read Dr. Holland; he was Ember's doctor. "You need to keep this in until your lungs clear up some more," he chastised.

Ember remained quiet. She laid still as she was set back up with the tube. It was a relief to get to breathe easily once again, but she wouldn't admit it.

"Now then," Dr. Holland said after he was done with that, "is there anything else needed?"

Ember shook her head.

"Alright. Then I'll be back at six for your next x-ray, just to see where we actually stand. Coming in, you were unstable, and your lungs were pretty much in a panic. Once we give things a few hours to stabilize, we'll be able to get a better look and a better standpoint. Call me if you need anything else before then," Dr. Holland said. With that, he walked out of the room.

Ember pulled her sheets up to her chin. "Get some rest. We'll wake you up once Dr. Holland comes back for your x-ray," Cyra said. Ember crossed her arms over her chest, a look of dissatisfaction crossing her face. "Dad? Since I was at your hand and I gotta spend the night here... can you bring by my stuffed scarf mouse?" she requested.

A slight smile crossed Grillby's face. Ember had received a stuffed scarf mouse as a baby, and she'd slept with it to this day. "I'll get it when Dr. Holland takes you to get your x-ray," he said.

"Thanks," Ember said. As she slept, Grillby and Cyra had a few things silently in commons.

It was that they both had a lot of hard thinking to do after Ember was taken off for her x-ray.

***Hopefully I wrote what I intended rising tension correctly. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!